Himachal Pradesh chief minister Prem Kumar Dhumal today urged the Union Finance Minister to exempt the Himachal State Agricultural Marketing Board (HPSAMB) and other such institutions by bringing necessary amendments to Direct Tax Bill, 2009. Similar amendments should be made in the provisions of Income Tax Act, 1961.

Dhumal urged the centre to include institutions like Agro Produce Marketing Committees (APMCs) and HPSAMB into the Direct TAx Bill, 2009 exempting such institutions from the purview of Income Tax Act, 1961.

Chief Minister said that the state government had constituted Agricultural Produce Marketing Committees (APMCs) and State Agricultural Marketing Board with the objective to operate marketing activities of the farm produce as the grass root level marketing infrastructural units to protect the farmers against middlemen.

He said that the state government had created a strong network of Agriculture Marketing Yards network at equitable distances to cater to the marketing requirements of the growers and the same were emerging successful by yielding desired results in helping farmers sell their produce at remunerative prices to the traders visiting such yards to purchase the farm produce.